title: Meloidogyne incognita: molecular cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding a cathepsin D-like aspartic proteinase.
abstract: Herein we describe the cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding an aspartic proteinase from the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. Using PCR techniques, a 1471-bp cDNA fragment encoding a cathepsin D-like (Mi-asp1) transcript was isolated from second-stage larvae mRNA. Its predicted amino acid sequence comprises a pro-region of 71 amino acid residues and a mature protease of 378 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 41.502kDa. Protein sequence comparisons of Mi-asp1 with GenBank (DQ360827) sequences showed 59-71% identity with nematode-specific cathepsin D-like aspartic proteinases. Southern blot analysis, RT-PCR amplification and EST mining suggest the existence of a developmentally expressed gene family encoding aspartic proteinases in M. incognita. Mi-asp1 may represent a potential target for molecular intervention for the purposes of plant-parasitic nematode control.
authors.affiliation: Embrapa, Cerrados, Planaltina, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo da Rocha
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Fragoso
authors.forename: Isabela Tristan
authors.initials: IT
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.forename: João Aguiar Nogueira
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.forename: Osmundo Brilhante
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Oliveira-Neto
authors.forename: Maria Cristina Mattar
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Thales Lima
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Marise Ventura
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Coutinho
authors.forename: Maria Fátima
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Grossi-de-Sa
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry*; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000737:chemistry*; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007814:Larva / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000469:parasitology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010063:Ovum / Q000201:enzymology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000469:parasitology; D018510:RNA, Helminth / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014431:Tylenchoidea / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D018509:DNA, Helminth; D018510:RNA, Helminth; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases